SB Nation - Tyrese Rice

Sleeping With The Enemy: Getting Into Harvard

CasualHoya — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 14:15:09 -0000

What better cure for an awful loss to Old Dominion than a date with an Ivy Leaguer. What's that? They almost beat UConn? What? They beat Boston College? What! They have a player who just might be better than any of ours? Oh, crap. As always, we here at Casual Hoya are bringing you everything you need to know about Georgetown's next opponent. Big ups to Martin Kessler of The Harvard Crimson for going above and beyond the call of duty in providing answers to our penetrating questions. Martin Kessler, this bud's for you.

Smart people

via www.instructables.com

CH: You are currently at Harvard. Are you, like, smarter than us?
You can be the judge of that after reading the rest of these answers. If any of my claims lead you to question my sanity, feel free to inquire about my acceptance at the admissions office (617-495-1551). I too would like to know why I am here.

CH: What can Georgetown expect from this Harvard squad? Who are the best shooters? Best rebounders?
One thing Georgetown certainly cannot expect is an easy win. This is a young Harvard team but one that does not crack under the pressure of facing tough competition. The last time Harvard was blown out by a BCS opponent was the first game of the 2007-2008 when it lost to Stanford 111-56. Since that pummeling, Harvard is 3-3 against BCS conference opponents with a win over Michigan and two over Boston College. So far this season, Harvard has lost to UConn by six points and beaten Boston College by seven. What's even more impressive about those two performances is that Harvard played with two high caliber opponents without strong play from its second best scorer and two best shooters. Sophomore point guard Oliver McNally, who averaged 10.71 points per game heading into the games against UConn and Boston College, was held scoreless in both contests.

Freshmen sharpshooters Dee Giger and Christian Webster combined for 12 of 29 (.4138) shooting from behind the arc in Harvard's first five games of the season, but shot an abysmal 2 of 12 (.1667) against Harvard's toughest competition. If McNally can return to his old ways and Giger and Webster can get a couple more shots to fall, this could be a very tough matchup for Georgetown. Harvard will have trouble keeping up with the Hoyas on the glass. Harvard's leading rebounder is Jeremy Lin, a 6'3 guard. After that, Harvard gets most of its rebounding from 6'7 forward Pat Magnarelli and 6'8 forward Keith Wright, both of whom have a major assignment ahead of them trying to contain Greg Monroe.

CH: Harvard was well aware of Tommy Amaker's issues in his two coaching stops before joining the Crimson. And as if on cue, Tommy Amaker and his assistant, Kenny Blakeney, ran into NCAA hot water for their recruitment of DC star, Max Kenyi (the first NCAA investigation at Harvard). Has the arms race among the BCS schools now trickled down to the Ivy League such that member schools are willing to bend or break the rules?
I don't know enough about the Max Kenyi situation or Harvard's recruiting tactics to offer much insight but I do know for certain that the quality of player the Harvard coaching staff is pursuing is much higher than in past years. Amaker and his staff have been in the running for such top recruits as Dwight Powell (who committed to Stanford) and Rod Odom (who committed to Vanderbilt). Two freshmen on Harvard's current roster spurned offers from Stanford to play in Cambridge. Amaker is certainly a strong recruiter who has used the Harvard name brand and the opportunity to bring home the school's first Ivy League championship as a means of attracting interest.

CH: Is Jeremy Lin a legitimate NBA prospect or is he just another Jerome Allen?
Yes and No. Yes in the sense that the talent and athleticism are there. Lin has showed that he can play against top collegiate guards like Kemba Walker, Jerome Dyson, Tyrese Rice, and Reggie Jackson. But NBA scouts will continue to question his athleticism and size. I expect Lin to go undrafted but to receive enough interest from NBA teams that he will have the opportunity to play in summer league games and fight for a roster spot.

More with Harvard after 'The Jump':

CH: I always hear rumors that MIT is a legendary party school, but simply can't bring myself to believe that they are true. You are a Harvard student. It's Saturday night, you've completed your homework for the week and you're ready to rock. Where are you going and what kind of trouble/action is out there in Boston or Harvard Square?
Saturday night and I'm done with my homework for the week? I can't even fathom that situation. A more reasonable scenario would be, "It's Saturday night and the library is about to close so you're about to be forced out into the real world. What do you do?" As a freshman guy, I usually just end up crying myself to sleep as all the girls head over to the Final Clubs, Harvard's elitist version of fraternities.

CH: Penn and Princeton have dominated the Ivy League for years but Cornell has had a tremendous run and Harvard boasts the best player in the conference - what's led to the parity in the Ivies and led to the dropoff for Penn and Princeton?

First of all, I don't think the guys at the Cornell Basketball Blog would much appreciate you belittling their own Ryan Wittman. But moving past that, if you were to ask fans at Penn or Princeton, I'm sure they would say a lot of their downfall had to do with poor coaching. After Penn's horrific 0-7 start to this season, they got rid of Glenn Miller, something fans had been demanding for a long time. Princeton seems to be heading in the right direction, going from Ancient Eight cellar dweller two seasons ago to Cornell's runner up a last year. Harvard's recent rise can be attributed to both the hiring of Amaker and its new financial aid initiative, which allows it to compete with schools that offer athletic scholarships. Along that same note, Cornell fans would likely argue that its coach Steven Donahue has been a large factor in Cornell's rise.

CH: Coach Thomson famously recruited Patrick Ewing from Cambridge Rindge and Latin with promises that it never snows in DC and thankfully, Ewing fell for that line. When the weather's so awful that your best high school player flees at a blatant lie and chicks cover up for 6 months a year, why would anyone go to school up there?

Before answering that question, let me tell you a few things about Cambridge Rindge and Latin, the school I graduated from just this past May. You would think that Georgetown would look favorably at us, seeing as how we produced the player that led you guys to an NCAA championship. But no, that is not the case. As college decisions were getting mailed out, my friends and I joked that the last person from our school to get accepted at Georgetown was Ewing. Sure enough, nobody from my school got into Georgetown for another year. Honestly, I don't know of a single person other than Ewing that has gotten into Georgetown from Cambridge Rindge and Latin, a school that currently has over 20 students at Harvard. One of my good friends from high school had to settle on Harvard after he was put on the waiting list at Georgetown. So if any of you guys have sway over at the admissions office, I would appreciate it if you could bring that up before I send Patrick over there to sort it out, Anyways, back to the original question. I think the simple answer is that Cambridge is the best city on the planet. Why wouldn't you want to live in the People's Republic, where the Green Party candidate regularly defeats the Republican candidate?

CH: Boston boasts the Union Oyster House, the oldest operating restaurant in the U.S., and its only other food claim is to baked beans. Where's the best place to get an oyster and are you still angry at having to face British cuisine after winning the Revolutionary War?

I don't like oysters and I don't know why there is a question about Boston. Harvard is in Cambridge, which is a much better city than Boston. If you're ever in town you should head over to Felipes where you can get a burrito for like three bucks.

CH: Yes or no: You are aware that Harvard is referenced in the Georgetown Hoya Fight Song.
No, but it doesn't surprise me. Lots of schools try to associate themselves with Harvard to boost their image.

CH: Please give us your two cents on the Harvard-based movie "With Honors" starring Brendan Fraser, Moira Kelly, Patrick Dempsey, Joe Pesci as the homeless guy who lived in the library, and containing the monster hit "I'll Remember" by Madonna.
That movie was a little before my time but I think it's safe to say that Legally Blond is the best Harvard-based movie. But in all seriousness, there is really no need to watch any other Harvard movie if you have already seen Good Will Hunting with Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, who I might add are also Cambridge Rindge and Latin graduates.

CH: Final score prediction:

Harvard: 83
Georgetown: 79

Casually.

Headlines: Harvard 74, Boston College 67

Brian @ BCI — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:45:22 -0000

More photos » by Elise Amendola - AP

Tommy Amaker was 0-1 against BC while head coach at Michigan. At Harvard, he is 2-0. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

Browse more photos »

Brian: Last year left you scratching your head. This year? I'm pretty much speechless. Harvard took down Boston College 74-67 for their second win in as many years against the Eagles. The Eagles led at half but were outscored by 9 in the second half to fall to 6-3 on the season. From what I could gather watching the Gamecast, BC's defense was abysmal as they allowed the Crimson to shoot better than 50% from the field in the second half. Jeremy Lin again led the way, scoring 25 points in the victory. BC, on the other hand, finished the game shooting 37.5 percent. The team was actually shooting 46 percent at halftime, so that puts their field goal percentage in the second half probably in the 20s.

If BC hadn’t already lost to Saint Joseph’s and Northern Iowa in the Virgin Islands, we might be able to forgive this loss. However, the Eagles are now a pedestrian 6-3 on the early season, and suddenly games against Massachusetts and South Carolina look like virtual must-wins. So where do the Eagles go from here? Fan interest in this year’s basketball season will certainly suffer as a result of 3 early losses to mid-majors, right?

Jeff: Last year left you scratching your head. This year there's an excuse. Actually two excuses. I would say first that the loss last year clearly had a residual effect on the team this year. Once again the team was coming off of a televised ACC win and was looking ahead to another televised game coming up. Once things starting turning Harvards way in the second half, the Eagles probably got nervous that the same embarrassing loss would happen again as happened last year. Sure enough, it did.

The bigger excuse the Eagles have this year is that they are missing a key starter in Rakim Sanders. Sanders might even be the Eagles best player so while I am bummed about the loss, I am actually not overly concerned. Last year the Harvard game was a huge trap game after beating No. 1 ranked North Carolina and this year the injured Rakim Sanders and the game falling once again after an ACC game at least gives the team some good excuses. BC had already drastically hurt their non-conference resume by what happened in the Virgin Islands and you couldn't have expected them to win out between that debacle and our next conference game. The team will get right back to trying to win the next game in front of them and then trying to finish top 4 in the ACC so they can get a bye in the ACC Tournament. Fans, however, will jump off the deep end after this loss for unknown reasons. This is college basketball, not college football. Teams can rack up some early season losses, especially in untelevised games, and still recover to make the tournament. Just look at the 2008-09 Eagles.

Brian: I am much less forgiving that you are. I just don’t buy into these excuses. Ok, maybe last year’s loss had an effect on this year’s squad in some sort of a bizarro vicious cycle where BC lost the lead in the second half and then psyched themselves into the pain and embarrassment that is losing to Harvard for the second straight season. Maybe.

Not having Rakim Sanders on the floor, however, is not an excuse. The Eagles had Rakim Sanders (and Tyrese Rice) last year and they couldn’t beat Harvard. This year, BC was coming off an impressive three game winning streak without Sanders where they beat teams straight-up better than Harvard in more hostile environments. I get that games like this against Boston-area programs are like the NCAA Title Game for a program like Harvard, but still don’t think this is an excuse for dropping to Harvard two years running.

I would be more forgiving of this loss and be pleading for fan patience like you if this was an isolated incident. But this seems to be a chronic condition for the Eagles. Over the last nine seasons, BC has dropped early non-conference games to Harvard (x2), Robert Morris, Vermont, Duquesne, Kent State and Northeastern at an alarming clip of about 1 a season. I realize we are seeing major conference programs get snake-bitten more and more in the early season (Wisconsin Green Bay just took down Wisconsin in OT last night), but among the more successful major conference teams, you don’t expect this to happen. If you do, you certainly don’t expect this to happen at the rate of once a season.

I’m not asking for a trip to the Sweet 16 every season, but I don’t think it is unrealistic for fans to expect this program to take care of the little guys in the early season on a consistent basis. Especially locally area teams where bragging rights are at stake. BC plays in the best college basketball conference in the country and has every resource at their disposal. I, for one, don’t blame fans for jumping off the deep end after losses like this.

Jeff: I think the point that I wanted to make about excuses is that this team has more and better excuses this year than last year. Knowing that this same group of players plays best against the best (defeating North Carolina and Duke last year) and worst against teams not even sniffing the top 25, why are we surprised?

Boston College should be able to take care of the little guys, which has been the M.O. of Clemson the past few years. Start the season 20-0 and eventually not make the NCAA Tournament or lose in the first round. However, this group of players is clearly not that type. For better or worse the Eagles play better in big games. Period. Which would you rather have - the Eagles defeating every team with an RPI of 50+ and beat no top 20 teams? Or lose to some RPI 100+ teams but also beat some top ten teams? This team is not good enough to win them all.

Brian: Again, personally as a fan, I don't think it is unrealistic to expect BC to achieve a little of A) and a little of B) - beating every team with an RPI 100+ and throwing in a few Top 25 upsets here and there. However, answering your question with the best interest of the BC basketball program in mind, I'm not sure the answer is as cut and dry. Certainly knocking off North Carolina and Duke helps put butts in seats and establishes more school interest in the program. But it may very well be the case that the negative effect on fan interest after losing to programs like Harvard and Northeastern is greater than the positive effect created when BC beats a Top 25 program later in the season.

Around the ACC: 11/18

MRickman84 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 13:52:37 -0000

What a slate of games last night, huh? We got a good taste of what Gonzaga looks like and it appears they are way better than anyone thought coming into the year. They've got some big ballhandlers. The Kansas-Memphis game was another classic, and Georgetown and UCONN got a scare. Plus, Tennessee absolutely went off on UNC-Asheville. But let's focus on our specialty, ACC hoops.

We got a good glimpse of teams in the conference yesterday. These early season games are important for scouting teams' strengths and weaknesses. Mid-majors may not have the talent level of the ACC, but they sometimes do a pretty good job of scheming and looking for ways to attack and defend.

The first few games also let us know exactly what freshmen are the real deal and which returning players are ready to make the jump to the next level.

Clemson 79, Liberty 39
This game was never close. What stood out was the fact that Clemson can shoot a little better than the last couple years. Sure, they're missing Oglseby, but they still have some real weapons. David Potter lit it up from deep, hitting 5 and finishing with 17.The Tigers will rebound the ball with Trevor Booker (who has been there for about 20 years) and they will continue to be a good defensive team. Plus they've got a good little player in Demontez Stitt.

Duke 101, Charlotte 59
Duke looked really good in their win over Charlotte. I kick Kyle Singler around a lot of the time, but he has a ton of skill and when players can't matchup well against him, he takes advantage. The senior had 17 points and was aided by Jon Scheyer with 20, as well as Nolan Smith, who had 24 in his return to the lineup after suspension. It's the same story for Duke: if they hit their shots, they are tough to beat.

Virginia Tech 59, UNC-Greensboro 46
Not really sure what to make of this win, and this Hokie team. I might have to ask Gobbler Country on this one. We know what to expect from Jeff Allen (14 points, 10 rebounds) and Malcolm Delaney (17 points, 5 assists), but I just don't know where else a lot of the scoring is going to come from.

Boston College 72, St. Francis 44
I promised myself this year I would stop taking Boston College lightly. Al Skinner continuously finds ways to do as much as he possibly can with his team. But, how will the Eagles react to losing Tyrese Rice? I'm high on Joe Trapani (13 points, 9 rebounds) and even higher on Reggie Jackson, who looks to make great strides from last year (17 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists). I feel like despite the loss of Tyrese Rice, this is a deeper BC team overall and definitely an NCAA team.

Maryland 71, Fairfield 42
Again, another team I'm not exactly sure what my impressions are. My old friend Eric Hayes is still there. Greivis Vasquez (7 points, 6 assists on 3-11 shooting) is obviously the "star," but Hayes will be a calming influence on this team due to Vasquez's penchant for turning the ball over and his tendancy to be inconsistent. I'm still a big fan of Landon Milbourne, and it'll be interesting to see what exactly his role will be this year.

Paradise Jam Preview part 1: South Dakota State, Boston College, St. Joseph's

BoilerTMill — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:45:41 -0000

Since I can't seem to narrow down TV coverage for this one I'll be tuning towards the radio and gametracker for Friday night's Paradise Jam opener. Since this tournament is striving to become a Maui East I am surprised they haven't worked out better TV coverage. Ah well. In all honestly I don't think we need to be glued to our TV sets for the opener. Even with LewJack and Sandi Marcius both being hurt we have little trouble with the Jackrabbits. Meeting Boston College in round 2 could be a different story.

To be accompanied by Michael Jackson's JAM video this week.

South Dakota State Jackrabbits

Conference: Summit League

2009-10 Record: 2-0

2008-09 Record: 13-20 (upset Oral Roberts in Summit League Tournament)

Blog Representation: SDSUFans.com (warning: this is a very user unfriendly site, but it is an SDSU blog. I searched that hard for you!)

SDSU may be a little better this season, as they have started 2-0. One victory is over non-D1 Mayville State, whom they crushed 89-56. The opening season victory is a decent one though over Mountain West Conference member Wyoming 77-61. The Cowboys were a 19-14 team a season ago that made one of the postseason tournaments, so an easy Jackrabbit victory does turn some heads. This is just the second season of full Division 1 eligibility for SDSU.

SDSU features a balanced scoring attack led by senior guard Garrett Callahan. Callahan averages 12.5 points per game and is a 3-point shooting threat having hit 3 of 9 from long range so far. He is actually down a bit from last season's 15.8 ppg average, but obviously the season is very young. His most telling statistic from last season was a 42.7% clip from long range. He is also an accurate free throw shooter when he gets to the line.

6'6" senior forward Kai Williams is next in scoring at 12.5 per game. His average is weighted by a 17 point performance in the opener at Wyoming. Williams has been a double-digit scorer in all four seasons at SDSU except last season when he dipped to 9.8ppg. He is a tough rebounder that can also step out and shoot the three. This makes him a versatile weapon, like a poor man's Robbie Hummel. It is interesting that he is only playing about half as many minutes this season as he has averaged in his career, yet his numbers are similar.

Anthony Cordova (11ppg) and Clint Sargent (18ppg) give the Jackrabbits four double figures scorers, showing their offensive versatility. Both are juniors, making SDSU a team that is dominated by upperclassmen. Sargent did not play against Mayville State after hitting five 3-pointers as Wyoming. Cordova has nice size at 6'7" 245lbs.

South Dakota State will live and die by the 3-pointer against us. They hit 11 of 21 against Wyoming to build a big lead early. Michael Palarca paces the offense by distributing the ball well at 6 assists per game. We can also expect to see Giffan Callahan (Garrett's younger brother), Nate Wolters, Dale Moss, and Josh Cassaday in a nine man rotation. The younger Callahan has shown a talent for rebounding at 5.5 per contest.

This is not a team that should dominate us on the glass. Their tallest player, 6'10" Mark Engen, is a senior that barely plays. Most of the team is between 6'4" and 6'7", but they lack the sheer physicality that we have as a Big Ten team. We should absolutely be able to dominate the interior and focus on defending from the perimeter. I can see this game being close only if SDSU gets insanely hot from outside and starts raining threes. On paper they are about equal with Cal State Northridge, and we had little trouble with the Matadors. Purdue 85, South Dakota State 57

Boston College Eagles

Conference: ACC

2009-10 Record: 1-0 (They play St. Francis tonight and St. Joseph's in round 1)

2008-09 Record: 22-12 (lost to USC 72-55 in round one of NCAA Tournament)

Blog Representation: Eagle in Atlanta, BC Interruption

Our round two opponent will likely be our first true test of the season. The same was true last year, as we squeezed out a 71-64 win over the Eagles at Madison Square Garden in the preseason NIT semi-finals. Joe Trapani had 14 points and eight rebounds against and he is back. 6'10 center Josh Southern (9 points, 11 rebounds) is also back. We are basically facing most of a team walked into North Carolina last season and won. They also beat Duke, but lost WTF games against Harvard and St. Louis.

It is hard to guess how well the Eagles will respond this season. Cory Raji and Rakim Sanders are returning starters that were suspended for the opener against Dartmouth and tonight's game against St. Francis. They must also replace leading scorer Tyrese Rice who graduated. Rice had a great game against us in New York, so missing him will not help their chances. This is still a young team that features just one senior in Tyler Roche. Roche only went for 30 against Dartmouth, but we are not Dartmouth.

We should have a better idea of what to expect from BC once they get everyone back from suspension. This is still not a team we can take lightly, however. I seem to remember North Carolina having a pretty good season last year and BC beat them seven in their own house. Still, they followed up that monster win with a loss to Harvard three days later. That tells me that consistency will be a major issue with them.

To win again we have to make sure they don't dominate the paint. Southern, Trapani, and Roche could give us some matchup problems in the paint if all three are playing. We have to keep them off the offensive glass and limit second chance points. We did a pretty good job of that last year, but we have to keep it up. Sanders and Raji are capable scorers that can create their own shot as well. This will be the first true test of our team defense.

Saint Joseph's Hawks

Conference: Atlantic 10

2009-10 Record: 1-0 (Holy Cross tonight and Boston college in round 1)

2008-09 Record: 17-15 (no postseason)

Blog Representation: None

I expect to play Boston College in round 2, but here is a brief preview of St. Joseph's anyway. St. Joseph's was one of the many teams that had a dominating win over Indiana last year, beating the Hoosiers 80-54 in the Maui Invitational. This means they are not strangers to big preseason tournaments, so this should be interesting. So far this season they have a 77-67 overtime win over Drexel.

Forward Idris Hilliard had a breakout game in the opener with 16 points and seven rebounds. He was also 10 of 11 from the line, so we don't want to foul him. Guard Darrin Govins was the leading scorer with 23 points on 6 of 17 shooting. He is a smaller shooting guard at 6'1", but he can score from anywhere on the floor. Garrett Williamson and Carl Jones were double figures scorers with 11 and 13 points, respectively. Overall St. Joe's hit 33 of 42 free throws against the Dragons, so we have to keept hem off the line.

Honestly, I am preparing to face Boston College in round two. St. Joseph's is well coached and they play in a surprisingly tough Atlantic 10 conference, but the Eagles are the better team. It would take an upset for St. Joe's to get past them, and if they do I don't think they have two int hem to get past us. They don't have much size outside of 6'11" center Todd O'Brien, so if we can neutralize him we should own the interior. I certainly trust our perimeter defense to stop anyone in the country from there.

Headlines: Men's Basketball Picked Ninth in ACC Preseason Poll

Brian @ BCI — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 19:00:46 -0000

Brian: So much for any media optimism surrounding the 2009-2010 Eagles men’s basketball program. The men’s team was selected ninth by the media members at the ACC’s Operation Basketball event this weekend. The Eagles were ranked ahead of only Miami, Virginia and NC State.

Here is the predicted order of finish with first-place votes in parenthesis:

1. Duke (25), 545
1. UNC (20), 545
3. Clemson, 409
4. Georgia Tech (2), 387
5. Maryland, 378
6. Wake Forest (1), 315
7. Florida State, 314
8. Virginia Tech, 273
9. Boston College, 251
10. Miami, 135
11. Virginia, 116
12. N.C. State, 76

Jeff, your thoughts?

Jeff: Wow. I'm pretty surprised here, but welcome to the ACC. In football, if you have a top 25 team you expect to compete for the conference title. But in basketball, it takes a top 10 team to have high hopes to win the conference. The ACC could get 9 teams into the dance any given year so being picked to or actually finishing 9th is not necessarily a season failure. As I look at the teams ranked above us, I would've had Boston College higher than all except Duke, North Carolina and Clemson. But, can I really say the media is completely wrong about any of the other five teams above us? No. The first team I would move down is Maryland but they do have a lot more history than BC and finished the year strong last season.

As you can see from the votes, the league has three tiers:

North Carolina and Duke
Clemson, Maryland, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Virginia Tech, Florida State and BC
NC State, Virginia and Miami.

Which team ranked ahead of the Eagles do you think absolutely doesn't deserve to be?

Brian: I wouldn’t have BC too much higher, but definitely higher than 9th in the ACC. A couple of teams ranked above BC I’m not particularly high on though, and am surprised that BC is ranked lower than these two teams.

One of those teams is Florida State. Sure, BC loses 16.9 points per game of production in Tyrese Rice, but that is the only starter that the Eagles lose. On the other hand, the Seminoles not only have to replace their leader and ACC defensive player of the year Toney Douglas (21.5 ppg) but also lose Uche Echefu in the paint (8.1 ppg, 5.2 rpg). Douglas, in particular, was arguably a more valuable part of the Seminoles success last season than Rice was to the Eagles’ success, and it will be hard for the Seminoles to replace his offensive and defensive production.

The other team is Georgia Tech. Despite the arrival of all-world recruit Derrick Favors, I’m supposed to believe that Paul Hewitt is going to lead Tech from a 2-14 record to a top 4 finish in the league? (Even more surprisingly, two voters have Georgia Tech winning the conference’s regular season title??) I’m not following. The past four seasons, the team that finishes fourth in the league standings has won roughly 10 games. An 8-game swing season-over-season is a tall order for Hewitt’s young Yellow Jacket team. I don’t care how much recruiting talent you bring in; there will definitely be some teething issues in Atlanta.

The biggest reason I’m not very high on Georgia Tech this year is their ACC schedule. Georgia Tech may have the hardest schedule of any ACC program in 2009-2010. Check out which teams Georgia Tech has to play twice - Duke, North Carolina, Clemson, Wake Forest, Florida State. Last year, Georgia Tech went a mere 2-6 against those teams, with one of those wins coming in the ACC Tournament vs. Clemson. I will be shocked if Georgia Tech can get through this slate of ACC games at 5-5. Paul Hewitt’s squad has nowhere to go but up, but a worst-to-top 4 league finish I think it a bit unrealistic.

However, as BC proves year in and year out, championships aren't won from preseason polls. They are won on the court.

Better than last year...

Paragon SC — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 02:03:37 -0000

Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times

I didn't see the first half but from what I saw in the secnd half SC did what many thought they would...take advantage of their size and their defense.

Tyrese Rice had only one field goal in the entire 2nd half and Taj Gibson had another great game to boost SC to a first round win against BC. Rice's FG came with less than two minutes to play in the game. The whole complexion of the game changed when BC's Josh Southern was called for his 4th foul. That took BC's big man out of the game.

Down early in the 2nd half SC battled back and went on an 11-0 run.

A jump shot by Gibson with 12:50 remaining in the game gave the Trojans the lead for good, 46-44, and USC pulled away by dominating every phase of the game.

Gibson's perfect shooting was the second-best performance in NCAA tournament history with a minimum 10 attempts, behind Kentucky's Kenny Walker and his 11-for-11 in 1986. Gibson matched Marvin Barnes of Providence and Christian Laettner of Duke, who were 10-for-10 in 1973 and 1992, respectively.

Marcus Simmons did what we thaought he would do and shadowed Rice for most of the game. SC dominated the boards on both ends of the court as well led by DeMar DeRozan with nine rebounds to go with his 18 points.

SC now awaits the winne of the Michigan St. v. Robert Morris game just getting underway.

I will have more tomorrow...this is our post game thread.

FIGHT ON!

Q&A With BC All Access UPDATE

Laughing Stock — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 03:01:40 -0000

Part two of our in depth investigative series features questions served up by BC All Access. As you read these, stop to contemplate these two fine universities shared dislike of Notre Dame. See everybody, it is a small world after all!

UPDATE: Here are BC All Access's Answers:

1. BC started out the season next to last in the ACC so it would appear that expectations were not high. Outside of the signature wins against UNC and Duke what were two high points in BC's season?

The two high points were beating Virginia Tech and Florida State. Both were crucial conference wins, but more importantly they showed the resiliency of the team. We beat Virginia Tech on a last second tip-in after they had just come back to take the lead. Florida State was in a position to re-take the lead before Tyrese Rice drained a three-pointer to seal up the win.

2. BC uses the Flex-Motion Offense, something the Pac-10 doesn't see very much. I see it as balanced attack meant to take advantage of each players strength's on the floor... what are some of the weaknesses in this style of offense?

The flex is very slow developing and methodical. It is by no means an exciting or high flying offense to watch. It can take nearly the entire shot clock to develop sometimes. This makes it difficult to run these sets if BC is down late in the game.

3. Neither team can be characterized as dominating on offense though there is no question that Tyrese Rice is the main guy in BC's offense and Josh Southern is no slouch either but you can't win it with just 2 guys...Who has to step up, who needs a big game against a pretty good USC defense?

Rakim Sanders, the sophomore guard, has emerged as a go-to player while Rice has struggled shooting recently. BC has gone to him to win games lately as teams focus on Rice. Sanders is physical and very strong and he plays inside as well. Joe Trapani is also a guy who can step up. The sophomore transfered from Vermont and is a versatile scorer. He uses his 6'8 frame to shoot over defenders. Freshman guard Reggie Jackson also also contributed off the bench. He plays best in the big games (17 points vs UNC, 15 points vs Duke)

4. BC has had its share of ups and downs this season...a 10-game winning streak that culminated with a victory at North Carolina when the Tar Heels were ranked No. 1, but then BC promptly lost four in a row starting with a home game against Harvard. Describe for us your general opinions of the team good or bad.

This team is very young, with Rice being the only senior. They have been inconsistent at times, mainly because they play to the level of their opponent, which can be frustrating to watch. They have proven they can beat anybody, but they also seem to not come prepared against weaker opponents. Overall, I think the team has improved greatly and they have definitely surprised most BC fans. They have to ability to win but the key for these young guys is to stay focused.

5. How do you think your players match up with USC and what aspects of BC's game do you think gives you an advantage over the Trojans?

I think this is a pretty even match up. USC certainly has the advantage in the post with Taj Gibson, but I would say BC has a slightly better backcourt at this time. If BC has any advantages its their offense. As you mentioned before, the flex is very uncommon to the Pac-10 and it takes some getting used to, both for team and for USC fans who have not seen it before. BC will try to control the tempo and play at a slow pace. If USC can get out and run then they will certainly have the advantage, but if the game is played slow, BC will have the upper hand.

My apologies to BCAA, I did not have access to a computer all day, so these answers got up kind of late. CC's Answers after the jump.

1) What had been the key to USC's defensive success this season?

In the past two seasons USC has finished ranked in 25 in Ken Pomeroy's defensive efficiency stat, and the Trojans are currently ranked 20th. A small part of it is obviously the players as the team has great size and athleticism. In particular, Daniel Hackett is an incredibly aggressive on the ball defender, and his large size (6'5"-6'6") is often disruptive for smaller guards. Taj Gibson is also one of the nation's premiere shot blockers, and his excellent timing and length lead to a lot of altered shots. But most of the credit has to go to Tim Floyd. He gets the players to play hard on both sides of the ball, and although SC plays man most of the time, he has shown that he is willing to take risks on the defensive end, just look at last years near infamous use of the triangle and two to hold Memphis to their lowest regulation scoring output of the season or last weeks spontaneous use of the full court press to turn the tide against Arizona State in the Pac 10 championship game.

2) What has been the difference between the team's poor February and red hot March?

Would it be an anticlimax if I said a lot of it was due to random chance? SC came out on the wrong end of a few close games, and other times they just had second half breakdowns against teams they had an excellent chance to beat. A small factor though was the fact that the team is mostly healthy now and that many of the players, Demar Derozan in particular, are playing at the top of their games. It is especially nice to see Dwight Lewis once again willing to take, and even occassionally making, a couple of crucial shots. I swear, he was playing some psychological mind torture games in his head the whole second half of conference play.

3) Demar Derozan has really played up to his potential of late, how can BC stop him?

The best way to stop Demar Derozan is to make it difficult to move around the court. Although he showed bits of his ballhandling ability against Cal, he mostly plays off the ball and looks for cutting lanes, put back opportunities, and long open jumpers. Defenders tend to relax a little bit in the areas near the perimeters as many consider this a bit of a no man's land, but this is where Derozan makes his money. The down side is that if BC is using a player to harass him around the entire court then they need to assign a help defender on the interior in case Derozan makes it by the first man. All in all though, the above is the best way to stop him, keep up the pressure and the ball might not even get into his hands.

4) Prediction for the game?

Like in the other Q&A I have to go with a close SC win. The advanced metrics favor SC, and the teams matchup well (at least size wise) overall. Its going to be a tough game, and the Trojans will need to show up and play the all 40 minutes if they want to win, but everyone plays at full throttle come tournament time. USC by a couple of baskets.

Q&A With Eagle in Atlanta

Laughing Stock — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 04:10:07 -0000

Regular readers of Conquest Chronicles know that we hear at CC have always been on the cutting edge of (trademark pending), and with that reputation it was no surprise that the interweb's top Boston College bloggers wanted a Q&A with yours truly. OK, they actually contacted Paragon but just like Tim Floyd he was forced to look to the bench and hope for the best. Don't worry though, I'm the Marcus Simmons of USC blog writers because I come through in the clutch. Well that's enough nonsense for one day; this set of questions (after the jump) come from Eagle in Atlanta, and I'll have one more Q&A up in the near future.

These are their answers to our questions...

1- BC started out the season next to last in the ACC so it would appear that expectations were not high. Outside of the signature wins against UNC and Duke what were two high points in BC's season?

ATL Eagle - - - 1. No other wins were as big or as critical as Duke or North Carolina, but this season did have a few other signature moments. BC beat Georgia Tech at home on a last second shot and beat Virginia Tech on a last second tip in. Both moments came from Rakim Sanders. Sanders' maturity and the ability to answer when Rice was shutdown in big moments was an important sign of progression for this young team.

2- BC uses the Flex-Motion Offense, something the Pac-10 doesn't see very much. I see it as balanced attack meant to take advantage of each players strength's on the floor... what are some of the weaknesses in this style of offense?

ATL Eagle - - - 2. Saying BC runs the flex can be misleading to those who know the scheme but haven't seen BC play it. First this year, they've moved away from it a bit to a more spread out scheme that involved a lot of isolation for Rice and lately posting up Sanders or Southern. Secondly when BC runs Skinner's preferred version of the Flex it is extremely compact. All five guys can be within a step of the lane, constantly cutting and bounce passing. If a team hasn't played BC and is not focused and patient they can end up allowing plenty of easy baskets.

The weakness of the flex is that if BC is slowed bringing up the ball and gets into the sets late, there isn't always enough time to find a good shot. The general offensive weakness from this BC squad is the are young and still waste too many possessions on bad shots.

3- Neither team can be characterized as dominating on offense though there is no question that Tyrese Rice is the main guy in BC's offense and Josh Southern is no slouch either but you can't win it with just 2 guys...Who has to step up, who needs a big game against pretty good USC defense?

ATL Eagle - - - 3. The two main scorers who need to step up are F Joe Trapani and G/F Rakim Sanders. Both are versatile guys and have had huge performances for BC at times this year. Both also are a bit streaky and can have nights where their shots just aren't falling.

4- BC has had its share of ups and downs this season...a 10-game winning streak that culminated with a victory at North Carolina when the Tar Heels were ranked No. 1, but then BC promptly lost four in a row starting with a home game against Harvard. Describe for us your general opinions of the team good or bad.

ATL Eagle - - - 4. Even with the Harvard loss this team is ahead of the schedule I had for them. Instead of being a bubble team they were a 7 seed. They beat Duke, UNC, Florida State and many other good NCAA and NIT teams. The Harvard loss was a fluke but not a total surprise to people who watch Skinner's teams. He is not a win one for the Gipper type so his young teams can come out flat. He's also not one to try to fire up the guys mid game. He saves his timeouts and lets the guys learn as they go. I love his style and think BC benefits from Al's deliberate style. The downside is the occasional game like Harvard.

5- How do you think your players match up with USC and what aspects of BC's game do you think gives you an advantage over the Trojans?

ATL Eagle - - - 5. I actually think BC matches up well against USC. The Trojans are more athletic but there is no major size disadvantage. I also think BC's offense will keep a good USC defense offbalance while BC's improving D will be able to handle to Trojans.

More after the jump...

You can also find our answers here.

1. Why did the Trojans struggle so much on the road? How much do you think the trip to Minneapolis will impact the team?

For a little background, the Trojans didn't so much struggle on the road as they struggled to close on the road (which I guess might be te same thing, but just bear with me). Very winnable late game situations were blown against Oklahoma, Oregon State, Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, and Stanford. USC also gave up double digit leads in losses to Seton Hall and Missouri on Neutral courts. SC was very competitive in pretty much every game, except for the game at Pauley Pavillion, but for some reason they just could not maintain their composure in late game situations away from home. The only explanation I can come up with is that Tim Floyd simply lacked players who were willing to step up and carry the team through difficult situations. Daniel Hackett began to shoulder that load as the season went on, but it is only recently that Demar Derozan and Taj Gibson have shown a willingness to bite back in those pressure situation. Hopefully this means that the players have overcome those road woes, but we'll only really know how the trip affects them once they hit the courts.

2. The outside opinion seems to be that this year's team is very different from last year's Mayo-led version. Aside from not having Mayo, how is this team playing differently? Who has filled the void? Has the style of play changed?

The team is really only different in so far as what left when Mayo declared for the draft early. Last year OJ was the go to scorer and primary outside shooter while also sharing ballhandling duties with Hackett. The outside shooting has diminished somewhat as Dwight Lewis can be somewhat mercurial to the say the least, but Derozan has a silky smooth jumper that seems to extend out to just inside the three point line. There were a lot of struggles early on with turnovers due to the lack of a secondary ball handler and the transfer of backup PG Angelo Johnson, but Hackett has improved as the season has gone on and the TOs have been reduced dramatically since the beginning of the season. Finally, while it is sometimes painful to have no true go to scorer, the Trojans are a very balanced team offensively and feature four players who score in double digits which make them a difficult team to defend.

3. What is the key to stopping the USC?

The key to stopping USC is not so much in stopping them, but not allowing their D to stop your team. The Trojans rely heavily on their defense and are 17-5 when their opponents score less than 70 points. If BC is taken out of their offensive game plan and has to force shots then they won't win pure and simple. SC's bread and butter has been defense all season long, and the main goal out of the gates will be to stop the Eagle's top two or three scorers. To stop USC, Boston College will need another player outside of the regulars to step up and provide offense As Tyrese Rice will have a tough time carrying his team to victory on his own..

4. What is your prediction for the game?

I predict a close SC win. I have always been a fan of guys like Ken Pomeroy, Jeff Sagarin, and John Gasaway, and all of them have USC as favorites over Boston College based on their various metrics for ranking college hoops teams. More importantly though, I think SC matches up very well size wise and has a ton of momentum heading into this game. USC could certainly come out flat and prove me wrong (trust me, they've done it before), but even Vegas picked the Trojans as the favorite to win.

We're Dancing: Boston College Eagles

SFBE.MP — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 00:24:21 -0000

Location: Chestnut Hill, MA

Enrollment: 14,395

Record: 22-11 (9-7)

Leading Scorers: Tyrese Rice (17.1 ppg), Joe Trapani (13.5 ppg), Rakim Sanders (13.0 ppg)

What to know:

Upon first look you may wonder why a team that is only 22-11 snagged a #7 seed, but these Eagles earned it by being giant kllers. The Boston College Eagles have had a knack for rising to the occassion and beating the best. They've tallied wins in Chapel Hill versus the UNC Tar Heels and at home on the Duke Blue Devils.
These Eagles can fill the box score from long range, having five different players that shoot over 33 percent from three point land.
Boston College has made it to the Sweet 16 in four of the last six seasons.

Projected Performance: The Eagles got a tough card when they drew the Pac 10 Champions, USC Trojans. If they can squeak by the Trojans they will face a tough and tournament ready Michigan State Spartans. A darkhorse to make the Sweet 16 but don't say we didn't warn you.

ACC Tournament: Duke vs BC Recap

MRickman84 — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 03:50:04 -0000

After an afternoon of almost buzzer-beaters, it was only fitting that the battle between the Duke Blue Devils and Boston College Eagles would take all 40 minutes to decide the outcome.

BC found themselves up seven at the half and down in a hole in the second half but bounced back using a combination of nifty drives by senior Tyrese Rice and some strong shooting from Biko Paris and Joe Trapani.

Paris nailed a three to tie the game up late in the second half and it was back and forth from there. BC had the ball and a bunch of time to get a good shot off but Duke played great defense before the timeline forcing BC to take another timeout. Out of the timeout though, Rakim Sanders, who finished with seven points on 3-12 shooting and 1-7 three-pointers, hoisted up a prayer three ball and BC had lost. For all those timeouts and all that time, BC had to get a better shot than that. Why not go to Rice (17 points, four assists), who can finish around the tin and could possibly get a foul call?

Paris and Trapani combined for 15 and 12 respectively, but the real story for Duke was Kyle Singler who had 26 points on 10-15 shooting. Singler has struggled mightily as of late and needed a big game for Duke as they look forward into the NCAA Tournament. They especially needed it on a day when Gerald Henderson was not at his best (5-12, 16 points, three TOs).

Jon Scheyer hit four threes and Elliot Williams played solid defense again and Duke will take on a possessed Maryland team on Saturday. If tomorrow's games are as good as three of the four games were today (the Wake game notwithstanding), then the semis will be another ACC classic.